Organizing your Kids’ Workspace

It’s time for the kids to go back to school, which has some pros and cons. Sure, your house may be quieter than usual during the day…but once homework time hits, you’ll be finding pencils, pink erasers, and papers scattered all over the house. With a little organization of your kids’ homework area, you can survive the schooldays with your sanity intact—and your kids may find it even easier to do their homework. Win-win, right? So if you’re interested in getting your house back in shipshape after all the back-to-school chaos, check out these tips on organizing your kids’ workspace.

Pick the Right Spot for Homework

First, you need to designate a workspace for homework. Choose a spot that’s out of the way—which means the kitchen island while you make dinner probably won’t work. Keep in mind that the workspace shouldn’t have any distractions, so avoid the coffee table in front of the TV if you want the kids to actually focus on homework! For most kids, a distraction-free space that’s out of the way may be located in their bedroom, basement or at the end of a hallway. Basically, anywhere quiet where you can squeeze in a desk should work.

Use Some Wall Space to Get Organized

If you don’t have the biggest desk ever for your kids, that’s okay. You can use up some of the space above it to stay organized. Start by putting a clock and a calendar on the wall so the kids can start getting used to keeping track of time and days on their own. This way, they’re less likely to constantly ask you what time it is or what day their book report is due! Then put up a corkboard or magnetic board where they can hang important papers. Encourage them to go through and switch out these papers at least once a week.

Contain the Desk Mess

When your kids have to use pencils, crayons, scissors, and a ton of other tools for homework, their desk can get messy fast. But you can minimize the mess by buying a few small containers to organize it all. If there’s not much space on the desk, you can just keep the basics out and easy to access by placing a cup or jar in the corner for pencils and pens. Everything else—including colored pencils, scissors, and pink erasers—can go in a homework caddy that you can place in a drawer or underneath the desk. If the desk is pretty tiny and doesn’t have any room underneath, consider a hanging organizer that you can put on the wall so it doesn’t take up precious surface room while you’re organizing your kids’ workspace.

Corral All the Papers Floating Around the House

School-aged children seem to come with a lot of paperwork. If you’re not seeing at least three new forms or flyers every day when you pick up your kids, consider yourself lucky! If you’re tired of them just tossing these papers in your face on a daily basis—or leaving them floating around the kitchen—it’s time to organize them. Fortunately, there are paper organizers just for this purpose. You can buy a freestanding paper organizer or go for one that hangs on the wall or desk. Either way, be sure to label each pocket or shelf so your kids know where to put everything from old tests to study guides for upcoming exams. You can then periodically go through all these papers and file away—or throw away—a bunch as needed.

Now that you’re done organizing your kids’ workspace, make sure to keep it free of dust and dirt. Hand your kids a bottle of TriNova All Natural Multi-Surface Cleaner and a clean cloth, and watch how fast they start taking pride in their newly organized desk.